Evaluating legal text translation using translation quality assessment

Abstract

This study examines differences in the quality of legal translation between undergraduate and postgraduate EFL students using the Translation Quality Assessment (TQA) framework. Legal translation requires not only linguistic competence but also a deep understanding of legal concepts and contextual accuracy, making it a complex and specialized field. Although translation competence models and legal translation theories have extensively explained the knowledge and skills required for legal translators, limited empirical research has examined how these theoretical competencies are reflected in the actual translation performance of students at different academic levels. This study addresses this gap by comparing the legal translation quality of undergraduate and postgraduate students using the Translation Quality Assessment (TQA) framework. This research employed a quantitative design involving 33 undergraduate and 6 postgraduate students, who completed a legal translation task comprising 26 sentences. The translated outputs were evaluated based on three criteria: accuracy, readability, and acceptability. Statistical analysis, including the Mann–Whitney U test, was conducted to determine significant differences between the two groups. The findings reveal a statistically significant difference in translation quality (p = 0.009), with postgraduate students outperforming undergraduates. Postgraduate students demonstrated greater ability to apply contextually appropriate and legally informed translation strategies, while undergraduate students tended to rely on literal translation. These results indicate that advanced academic exposure and legal knowledge significantly influence translation performance. This study highlights the importance of integrating legal competence and translation competence to enhance students’ professional readiness in handling legal texts.